The European Union successfully launched two navigation satellites into Earth's orbit late on Friday, restarting a flagship project after a botched deployment in August that cost millions of euros to fix.
The Galileo satellites, which blasted off from Europe's space port in French Guiana aboard a Soyuz rocket at 6.46 p.m. local time, will be part of the EU's alternative to the US Global Positioning System, widely known as GPS.
The multi-billion-euro project suffered a setback in August, when two satellites were put into the wrong orbit, adding to previous problems with delays and financing and questions about whether Europe really needs a rival navigation system.
- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/science-and-tech/europe-launches-first-galileo-satellites-orbit-errorşthash.2op950YL.dpufThe European Union successfully launched two navigation satellites into Earth's orbit late on Friday, restarting a flagship project after a botched deployment in August that cost millions of euros to fix.
The Galileo satellites, which blasted off from Europe's space port in French Guiana aboard a Soyuz rocket at 6.46 p.m. local time, will be part of the EU's alternative to the US Global Positioning System, widely known as GPS.
The multi-billion-euro project suffered a setback in August, when two satellites were put into the wrong orbit, adding to previous problems with delays and financing and questions about whether Europe really needs a rival navigation system.